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NBA.com
The Memphis Grizzlies are in a mad dash to convey their 2019 first round pick in the NBA Draft, which will be given to the Boston Celtics if it lands outside the top eight. If the pick lands inside of the top eight, Memphis can get a solid draft pick this season. With a lot of questions surrounding how talented this draft class is outside of Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, is Memphis making the right choice playing to convey this pick to the Celtics?
Playing to convey seems like the best overall decision for the Grizzlies. Mike Conley is playing out of his mind and this has been the best basketball of his career. Conley playing great has this team’s morale through the roof, and other NBA teams preparing to make moves if and when Memphis decides to deal him this offseason.
Conley is coming off his first ever Western Conference Player of the Week award, where he averaged 31.3 points per game. Conley is no longer an emotional attachment for the Grizzlies, he’s one of the best assets they’ve ever had. Not dealing Conley at the deadline has paid off tremendously. Conley’s stock has risen, and so has the Grizzlies’ production on the court, which should put them outside of the top eight when it is all said and done.
Now comes the discussion many of us do not want to have, but it is time that we had it. Is owner Robert Pera ready to make changes to the Grizzlies’ front office? It seems like we’ve talked about this for years, and a lot of this could’ve been avoided with a competent front office. Last offseason, and even at the trade deadline, Pera made all of the front office moves. Trading guys, cutting guys, you name it, but every Grizzlies transaction that has been made since the end of last season has been made by Pera.
Pera, who hasn’t been in attendance at FedEx Forum this season, has made all of the executive decisions. It feels like something is brewing because not many franchises are being ran like that. Pera is also paying a lot of big names in the front office to do nothing, which shouldn’t sit well with the inner business owner in him. It’s not very efficient, and should be changed heading into one of the most pivotal offseason in Memphis Grizzlies history.
As you can tell, a lot of things have to fall into place for Memphis to have a successful offseason, but it can happen. Priority one is conveying this first round draft pick. Second, getting good return in a trade dealing Conley, and lastly it is getting rid of this incompetent front office.